Herrn Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz
Bundeskanzleramt
Willy-Brandt-Straße 1
10557 Berlin
Germany
Berlin, April 14, 2023
Dear Chancellor Scholz,
We are among the leading international scientists from various fields of research, including natural, environmental and climate sciences. In view of the threat that climate change poses to life on our planet and the obvious energy crisis in which Germany and Europe find themselves due to the unavailability of Russian natural gas, we call on you to continue operating the last remaining German nuclear power plants.
We welcome the efforts of the German government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Germany, a country of particular economic and political importance in Europe, in accordance with international agreements. However, in 2022, CO2 emission goals were exceeded by 40 million metric tons due to the increased use of coal-fired power plants resulting from the necessary cuts in natural gas consumption; estimates for 2023 assume 38 million metric tons.
The Emsland, Isar II and Neckarwestheim II nuclear power plants supplied a total of 32.7 billion kilowatt hours of low-emission electricity in 2022. German private households most recently consumed an average of 3190 kWh of electrical energy per year. This means that these three power plants can supply more than 10 million, or a quarter, of German households with electricity. The resulting reduction in the amount of electricity required from coal-fired power plants could save up to 30 million tons of CO2 per year.
In the past, other European countries also pursued plans to reduce their nuclear power generation capacities. In recent years, however, many of these countries have taken a different stance on nuclear power due to rising energy costs, which has been exacerbated by the most recent loss of Russian natural gas deliveries. France, the UK, Poland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, among others, are planning to build new nuclear power plants or are already doing so, while Belgium and Switzerland are seeking to extend the operating licenses of their plants.
We call on you to use the remaining German nuclear power plants in order to alleviate the energy crisis and help achieve Germany’s climate targets
For these reasons, in the interest of the citizens of Germany, Europe and the world, we call on you to reconsider Germany’s plans to phase out nuclear power and to use the remaining German nuclear power plants in order to alleviate the energy crisis and help achieve Germany’s climate targets.
Your leadership position as head of government of the Federal Republic of Germany has a special responsibility in this matter.
Sincerely,
The signatories
Prof. Klaus von Klitzing, Nobel Laureate in Physics 1985, Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research
Prof. Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate in Physics 1997, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Prof. James Hansen, climate scientist, Goddard Institute for Space Studies
Prof. Kerry Emanuel, climate scientist, Lorenz Center, MIT
Prof. Pushker Kharecha, climate scientist, Columbia Climate School, Columbia University
Prof. Szymon Malinowski, climate researcher, Institute of Geophysics, University of Warsaw
Prof. Hans von Storch, climate researcher, Institute for Coastal Research, Geesthacht
Prof. Tom Wigley, climate scientist, University of Adelaide
Dr. Eduard Zorita, climate scientist, Institute for Coastal Research Geesthacht
Prof. Cornelius Courts, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital Cologne
Prof. Wolfgang Dahmen, mathematician, Leibniz Prize winner, RWTH Aachen University
Prof. Markus Fitza, economist, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management
Prof. Gerard Govers, geographer, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven Prof. Thomas Hausmann, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, TU Mittelhessen
Prof. Thomas Hering, economist, Faculty of Economics, Fern-Universität in Hagen
Prof. Maik Huettinger, economics, law and society, ESSCA School of Management
Prof. Alexander Ludwig, economist, Faculty of Economics, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Prof. Rainer Maurer, economist, Faculty of Economics and Law, Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences
Dr. Rainer Moormann, co-author, SaveGer6
Prof. Carolyn Porco, planetary scientist, University of Colorado Boulder
Prof. Herbert Roesky, chemist, Leibniz Prize winner, University of Göttingen
Prof. Manuel Sintubin, earth scientist, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven
Prof. André Thess, physicist, University of Stuttgart
Prof. Friedrich Wagner, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Munich
Dr. habil. Anna Veronika Wendland, co-author, SaveGer6
This letter is coordinated by RePlanet D-A-CH, a chapter of RePlanet. The letter can be found in German here on RePlanet DACH's website .